GRAMMAR Restrictive&NonrestrictiveClauses
Arelativeclausestartswitharelativepronoun.Apronounisawordthatreplacesanoun
previouslyusedinthediscussion.Wordssuchashe/she/it
orhim/her/they/them/we/us
are
pronounsbecausetheyareusedtoreplaceanounpreviouslyusedinthesentenceoranother
pronounthatwasusedbeforethem.
Relativeclausesreplaceandexplainthenounthatprecedesorfollowsthem.Theyopenwitha
relativepronoun:who,which,that,whom
orwhose.
Arelativepronounexplainsthenounmodifiedbyarelativeclause.Itintroducesarelative
clause.
Examples:
● Themanwhocalledyouismyyogainstructor.
● Thegirlthatcalledyouwantstomeetyoutomorrow.
● Thecarwhichhitthetreewasalsohitfrombehindbyatruck.
● Thegirlwhomyoumetthereismyroommate.
● Thestudentwhosephoneringsinclass
muststandupandapologize.
● Mybrotherwhosephonejustrangisageologydoctor.
Who,that,andwhich
aresubjectsoftheverbthatfollowsthem.
Whom
istheobjectoftheverbthatcomesafteritinthesentence.
Whose
indicatespossession;thenounthatprecedesitpossessestheobjectthatfollowsit.
RestrictiveRelativeClauses
Arelativeclauseisdefiningwhenitsinputisnecessarytounderstandthenounitexplains;
withoutit,thenoundoesnotmakemuchsense.
Examples:
● ThewomanwholivesacrossthestreetwatchesmycatwhenIgoonvacation.
● ThepersonwhomIcalledtodaywasmyhighschoolteacher.
● Thecarthathitthecatwasredandyellow.
● TheschoolwhoseWritingCenterwearevisitingisreallyimpressive.
Restrictiveclausesarenecessary,sotheydonotuseanypunctuationtosetthemofffromthe
nountheyaremodifying.
Who
isonlyusedforpeopleandreplacessubjectnouns.
Whom
isonlyusedforpeopleandreplacesobjectnouns.
That
isusedforplaces,things,andideas.
Whose
isusedforpeople,places,things,andideas.
NonrestrictiveRelativeClauses
Arelativeclauseisnondefiningwhenitcanbedeletedwithoutaffectingthemeaningofthe
sentence;inthiscaseitshouldbesurroundedbycommas.
Examples:
● Ms.Johnson,whoisverybeautiful,isasmartteacher.
● Theplumber,whomIcalledthismorning,isalreadyhere!
● Thecar,whichIwasdrivinginmysenioryear,caughtfireonI35inMissouri.
● Thecar,whosedriverjumpedoutbeforetheaccident,wascompletelydestroyed.
Nonrestrictiveclausesarenotnecessary,sotheyareplacedwithincommastosetthemofffrom
thenountheyaremodifying.
Who
isonlyusedforpeopleandreplacessubjectnouns.
Whom
isonlyusedforpeopleandreplacesobjectnouns.
Which
isusedforplaces,things,andideas.
Whose
isusedforpeople,places,things,andideas.